Owens 30 North Auto Repair

10/06/2026

Winter Prep Service at Owens 30 North Auto

Every year, your vehicle needs to be ready for our MD winter. The last thing drivers want is to get stranded out in the cold.
We need our vehicles to be safe and reliable. It's a good idea to get caught up on any neglected maintenance items anytime – but the stakes are higher in the winter.

There are some specific and necessary things that we need to do to have our vehicle ready for winter. The most obvious is having the antifreeze checked. If the antifreeze protection is not set correctly it can't properly protect your engine, radiator and hoses from freezing. If your vehicle does not seem to be making enough heat to keep you warm, your antifreeze level may be low or you could have a thermostat problem. Get it checked out at Owens 30 North Auto.
If you are due for a cooling system service, now is a perfect time to have it done.

In the cold rainy months we always worry about being able to stop in time when it's slick out on area roads. The first thing for drivers to remember is to slow down and allow plenty of room to stop. A thorough brake inspection will reveal if the pads or any other parts need replacing. Check with our service advisor to see if it is time to replace your brake fluid. It accumulates water over time which really affects your stopping power.

It is also advisable to have your battery tested. A battery's cranking power really drops with the temperature. If your battery is weak in the fall, it may not be up to winter.

You should always have a blanket or something to keep you and your passengers warm if you get stranded when it's cold.
If you will be leaving the area and venturing away from civilization, pack more items such as food and water to help you survive. Keeping at least half a tank of gas is a good idea if you get stuck and need to run the vehicle to keep warm, and it will help keep your gas lines from freezing up.

It's a really good idea for drivers to replace their wiper blades in the fall before the winter storms. If you live where there's a lot of snow and ice, you might want a special winter blade that resists freezing up. Also, be sure to have enough windshield washer fluid.

The final thing to consider is tires. Any tire can lose pressure over time – up to one pound every six or eight weeks. For every 10 degrees the temperature drops you lose another pound of pressure. So if it was 80°F outside when you checked your tire pressure two months ago and now it's 40°F your tires could be down 5 pounds of pressure. That's enough to be a safety issue and it's also hard on your fuel economy. You may need special winter tires as well. Our tire professional can help you find the right tire design for your vehicle and expected road conditions.

If you're getting tires it is always best to put them on all four wheels. If you are only getting two, it might be best to put them on the rear – even if you have a front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicle. This is a very important safety measure recommended by tire manufacturers. Sliding or fish-tailing on ice and snow is a matter of not having enough traction at the rear end. That is why your newest tires should probably always be on the rear. Check with your friendly and knowledgeable Owens 30 North Auto service advisor.

Give us a call.

Owens 30 North Auto LLC
3232 MAIDEN LN
MANCHESTER, MD 21102
410.374.1854

10/01/2026

09/30/2026

Will Proper Auto Maintenance at
Owens 30 North Auto Really Save Gas?

Have you ever thought about all the little things we do to keep our lives running smoothly - like vacuuming? It makes a room feel fresher and more comfortable. We may not consider that we're also prolonging the life of the carpet by keeping it clean. Drivers don't always extend those good habits into the garage. Our vehicles need regular maintenance just like our rugs need vacuuming. We may not notice a difference in the feel or appearance of the vehicle, but just as cleaning a carpet carries the hidden reward of prolonging its life, maintaining our vehicles incurs a hidden reward that becomes noticeable at gas stations.

When it comes to reduced fuel economy, there are two culprits: increased friction and inefficient fuel combustion. That means that anything drivers can do to decrease friction and increase the efficiency of their engines will translate to savings on fuel. Friction increases the amount of energy it takes to move something. So if we can reduce friction, we can decrease the amount of fuel it takes to run our vehicles.
Engine oil is usually at the heart of friction problems in an engine. Too little oil means parts are not getting lubricated, which increases friction and dirty oil doesn't lubricate as well as clean oil. So one secret to good fuel economy is to stay on top of oil changes. Don't skip them and don't procrastinate.
The same auto advice applies to transmission fluid. Keep it full and keep it clean, and your vehicle will run with less friction and better .

If your tires are underinflated, it increases the friction between the tire and the road. Again, there is increased drag, and it takes more fuel to move your vehicle. Your tire pressure should be checked every month and keep your tires properly inflated.

Alignment and brake problems can also increase friction. Besides saving fuel, keeping these systems in good repair has the added benefit of saving you on tires and brake pads. These items wear out more quickly when the alignment is off or when the brake system isn't in good working order.

The second culprit that stealthily steals our fuel economy is inefficient fuel combustion, which depends on the engine getting the right amount of clean fuel to the right place with the right pressure at the right time in the right pattern. The key to peak engine performance is to keep the fuel system clean. Varnish and gum can build up in a fuel system, which will interfere with the fuel injectors. The fuel injectors are responsible for all those “rights” we spoke of. If they're dirty, amounts, timing, pressure and spray patterns can all get out of whack. The result? Reduced fuel economy. A fuel system cleaning at Owens 30 North Auto can get your injectors back on track, improving performance and efficiency.

There are a few other maintenance items that can improve your fuel economy. One is to replace your PCV valve when it gets sticky. This valve allows unburned fuel in your engine exhaust to return to the engine. Our Certified Technicians can also replace worn spark plugs and dirty fuel filters.
A well-maintained vehicle will require fewer repairs and save money at gas pumps.

Talk to your friendly and knowledgeable Owens 30 North Auto service advisor.

Owens 30 North Auto LLC
3232 MAIDEN LN
MANCHESTER, MD 21102
410.374.1854

09/25/2026

The EVAP System

The oil and fuel in your vehicle give off vapors that are very harmful to the environment. Evaporative emissions control systems – EVAP for short – are mandated in all cars and trucks. The job of the EVAP system is to capture these vapors and direct them into the engine to be burned – kind of an on-board recycling program.

The EVAP system is a complicated network of hoses, valves, filters and such. Issues with the EVAP system are in the Top 5 reasons for a Check Engine Light to be illuminated. Our qualified service technician connects our state of the art diagnostic equipment to your vehicle’s computer, retrieves the trouble codes and begins a diagnostic procedure to isolate the fault. With the proper equipment, the technician can test the valves in order to trace a blockage. A low-pressure smoke test can be performed to find any leaks. The necessary repairs are then made to get the EVAP system working again and to reset the Check Engine Light.

While EVAP problems don’t generally lead to vehicle damage, the fact that they trigger the Check Engine Light can mask other more serious problems if left unaddressed. After all, there are hundreds of conditions that can trigger a Check Engine Light – but there is only one light. So, if the light is on because of an EVAP issue you haven’t fixed and another problem arises, you won’t be alerted to the new condition because the light is already on.

Of course, if you live in a jurisdiction that requires emissions testing to register your vehicle, you won’t pass the test until you make the necessary repairs. An EVAP trouble code could be caused by something as simple as a loose or worn gas cap or a leak in a hose to problems with a purge valve of even a rusty fuel filler pipe.

When your Check Engine Light comes on, bring your vehicle in and let us check it out. Our trained technician will be able to diagnose the issues and work out a plan to address any problems that are uncovered. There’s peace of mind that comes from knowing what is wrong and taking care of it.

Give us a call

Owens 30 North Auto LLC
3232 MAIDEN LN
MANCHESTER, MD 21102
410.374.1854

09/22/2026

Happy First Day of Autumn!

09/16/2026

Simple Answers from Owens 30 North Auto

Wheel Bearings

Question:
I remember my dad having the shop “pack the bearings” on the family car. Is this something I need to have done?

Owens 30 North Auto LLC Answer:
That's a really good question. At one time, all wheel bearings were “serviceable” and needed to be taken care of from time to time. It's a little trickier these days.

First off, the wheel bearings in your vehicle make sure your wheels rotate smoothly. As you can imagine, with all those revolutions per minute your wheels can generate a lot of heat. The bearings keep that heat down as much as possible. They're packed in grease for lubrication. The term “packing the bearings” refers to putting fresh grease around the bearings.

On many modern vehicles, the wheel bearing assembly is sealed. These wheel bearings are not serviceable so there is no maintenance that can be performed on them. When the bearings wear, the entire assembly is replaced. Your friendly and knowledgeable Owens 30 North Auto technician can perform a check of your bearings to make sure they are still functioning safely, and he can also tell you if your bearings need service. If you hear strange noises from your wheels – which may come and go at different speeds – it's time to have them inspected.

Wheel bearings on trailers are almost always serviceable. This means anything from a monster sized fifth-wheel camper to a little utility trailer. Boat trailers are especially susceptible because the hot wheel bearings are plunged into cold water when launching a boat into the lake. This temperature difference can draw water into the bearings. Have the bearings repacked at the end of the season to prevent corrosion.

It would be a good idea for trailer owners to have maintenance service on their trailer wheels every year or so – it's kind of hard to hear when they are groaning.

Now, when wheel bearings fail, the wheel can seize up and even break off. Of course no driver wants that to happen, so follow a regular inspection schedule – your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor can help.

Give us a call.

Owens 30 North Auto LLC
3232 MAIDEN LN
MANCHESTER, MD 21102
410.374.1854

09/10/2026

The Water Pump

Let's talk water pumps for autos.
The engine is cooled by coolant/antifreeze mixed with water. This mixture circulates around the engine, absorbing some of the heat. The coolant then flows through the radiator where air cools it down for the return trip back through the engine. Your vehicle's water pump is what drives this process.

Cooling system problems are the number-one mechanical failure. So the water pump plays a pretty important role. You can't get very far without a water pump.

After all the distance and years of pumping coolant, water pumps just wear out. You might notice a whining or grinding sound coming from the water pump. Or maybe see coolant leaking from the pump itself.

The precise location of the water pump varies depending on the vehicle. Some have the water pump attached to the outside of the engine where you can see it. With these, the water pump is driven by the serpentine belt.

Some have the water pump driven by the timing belt. The timing belt cover often hides the water pump with this setup, so you can't see the pump without removing the cover.

When you have Owens 30 North Auto replace the water pump on one of these, you really should replace the timing belt at the same time. We've already gotten things taken apart and besides, the belt is likely contaminated by coolant. Timing belts usually need to be replaced at similar intervals anyway, so it just makes sense to do both jobs at once.

The opposite is true too; when you change the timing belt on this type of engine, replace the water pump while you're at it. The water pump will eventually fail and getting to it is an expensive project. For not that much more you can take care of both the timing belt and the water pump at the same time.

Give Us A Call

Owens 30 North Auto LLC
3232 MAIDEN LN
MANCHESTER, MD 21102
410.374.1854

09/07/2026

We will be closed today so we can spend Labor Day with our families.
Be Safe Out There!

08/31/2026

~~~~~ ~SCHOOL STARTS TODAY ~~~~~~

🎒🚌 Back-to-School & Bus Safety! 🚌🎒

As a new school year begins, it’s time to slow down, pay attention, and help keep our children safe! Please watch for school buses, obey school-zone speed limits, and always stop when a bus has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended. Children may be excited and distracted as they head to and from the bus, so please give them plenty of space and time to cross the street safely. Let’s all do our part to make getting to and from school a safe and happy experience for every child. Slow Down and Stay Alert ‼️